Night Two at MSFW – Boutique – took to the catwalk to highlight the unique fashions in our fair city and uncover the outstanding designs that hide down its laneways and throughout its alleys. A kaleidoscope of colour ensured something to suit every occasion, and clothes you want to plan an occasion especially for. There is no denying the depth of talent in our Boutique pool, a collection of designers who are not afraid to take a risk and show the world how it’s done.
We began by travelling south of the American border – Mexico – to a fiesta presented by Obus. A collection I have been lusting after long before the models stepped into the spotlight, Obus’s 12th outing for MSFW was bold, bright and fun. Oranges, yellows and pinks dominated, purple and turquoise complimenting the palette beautifully. Designer Kylie Zest is regularly inspired by her travels – no prizes for guessing where she visited this year.
Also on their 12th outing, Gorman ventured to a more tropical location with equally fabulous colours, flowing maxi skirts and loose flowing pieces perfect for a hot summers day. Sophie Van Den Akker stunned yet again, first in bathers with rope detailing and a matching bag that would not look out of place on a beach or in a boardroom with a chic suit (the bag, not the bathers).
Leonard Street continued the maxi dress trend and featured one of my favourite colours of the week, dubbed ‘tangerine gelato’. Pale orange, steele grey and a grape purple rounded out the shades Amanda McCarthy chose to feature this season, for whom colour is an important part of the design process. Similarly, strong silhouettes are a key part of Amanda’s designs, ‘Flattering shapes make everyone feel good, so that’s my aim as a designer – to create flattering clothes you want to wear.
New kids on the block, Kings of Carnaby, are design duo Michael Lamacchia and Nick Tologlou. High school friends with a passion for vintage and well-fitting suits, Michael and Nick are inspired by the 60s English mod era and featured mini dresses and ladylike pleats in many of their designs. All white was again a catwalk trend but the Kings also showed pieces in all black – refreshing for a spring/summer collection.
Dressing the gorgeous Emma, MSFW Front of House Manager, this week is the lovely Rosemary Masic and her feminine label, Nevenka. Her attention to detail never fails to impress and this year is no different. Lace, patchwork and fringing gave a country bohemian feel in pale purples, blues and pinks before navy and white pieces in more formal fabrics and styles that would be perfect for the office Christmas party.
One of Australia’s most innovative and respected designers, Dhini, continues to go from strength to strength, opening with a trio of dresses in my favoured orange and continuing to impress with traditional Melbourne black in a variety of clever cuts. Shorts and vests were popular, as were accents in an acrid yellow and pale blue.
As we moved onto local boutiques, the effort put into staging a show of this magnitude at MSFW was clear. A DJ, short films and lighting effects wowed and kudos must be given to the teams behind the scenes at these events.
Dedicated to the creative process and a home for emerging designers, FAT was established in 1998 with a philosophy based on an important dialogue between Australian fashion and design, and the rest of the world, which the owners hope enriches their customers experience with creative culture. Their chosen designers were this year a mash-up of brights and prints in structure-less garments, juxtaposed with classic checks and colours in modern pieces. A favourite was the styling of thongs (the kind you put on your feet) wrapped with a crazy printed fabric to create a unique ‘shoe’.
LIFEwithBIRD will next year celebrate their tenth birthday, but the party came early this year with my favourite collection of the night. A beautiful fashion story artfully put together in tans and ‘tangerine gelato’ included a stunning suede jacket and structured pieces I’d be proud to call my own. Changing tack, Nicholas Van Messner and Bridget McCall also told a tale in greys and silvers, an 80s inspired dress rounding out their 2011 collection.
Much to my amusement, Green With Envy opened their show with a number of styles, all in green. The womenswear boutique will stock mint, emerald and teal, and a stunning print with pinks and black. Model favourite Alice Burdeau, a stunning redhead, wowed in a white tuxedo suit before Sophie turned on the siren in a red shorts suit. Five models closed the catwalk en masse in a vision of orange and black dresses.
Detail driven Megan Park, inspired by Parisian flea markets, bead markets in Old Delhi and the street vendors of Hong Kong, paraded her trademark embellishments and embroidery on a gorgeous selection of pretty dresses and skirts. Hemlines were long and short but the purple pants teamed with a hot pink top was my winner.
Finale outfit Alice Euphemia, boutique to the cool and – well, just damn cool – stocks designers Romance Was Born, Ellery, Tina Kalivas, Dress Up, Michael lo Sorda, Carly Hunter, Ansdorf, Lover and Deadly Peonies, among others. The creations of the Australian and New Zealand designers stocked by Alice can only be described as amazing, a collection of garments that have to be seen to be believed, breaking all the fashion rules and defying design time and time again. Sophie Van Den Akker closed the boutique show in an outfit that reminded me of the Flintstones, highlighting her amazing body and practically perfect physique. Stunner.
Shoes for the Boutique show were proved by Aldo, Novo, Siren, shoessales.com.au, Steve Madden, Boston Babe and Georgia On My Mind.
Image Credits: Meagan Harding
